An Alicorn's Destiny (May Change it Later)
by Shiika777
Summary: First MLP fanfic (yes, I'm a pegasister...no judging :p). Plot doesn't really advance until like the 5th chapter, but let me know how you like it so far. Feedback's always appreciated. Please and thanks. Jesus loves you 3
1. Chapter 1

It was a bright, sunny day in Ponyville. The birds were chirping; the squirrels were happily foraging for food; all the other ponies were going about their day as usual. Spike was even up and actually cleaning the library.

Twilight Sparkle woke up from a good night's rest. She had been working very hard on some new spells lately, and she was exhausted. She stretched and yawned, "Morning, Spike." She turned towards Spike's bed, but he wasn't there. "Spike?" she called, concerned.

"Down here, Twilight!" Spike responded.

She jumped out of bed and trotted over to the edge of the floor and looked down to see Spike with a broom with his hand. "Spike are you…sweeping?"

"Yup," he responded cheerfully.

Twilight looked puzzled. She bit her arm. "Ouch!"

"What'd you do that for, Twilight?" Spike asked baffled.

"Making sure I'm awake. Are you really cleaning right now?"

Spike laughed. "Yes, Twilight. Believe it or not, I can do house chores and be your assistant, too," he stated proudly.

Twilight giggled. "Alright, Spike."

"That and since you've been working so hard on your spells lately, I thought I'd give you a break and clean up a bit."

"Aww, Spike. That is so sweet of you."

"Ah it's nothing, Twilight. You deserve it."

"Well thank you. Now that I think about it, I haven't really taken a break from learning these new spells. Maybe I _should_ take a day off." Then she trotted down the steps and got ready for that day.

She was brushing her mane when she had a thought. "Hmm…what should I do on my day off, though? All I ever do is study and practice my spells."

Spike thought about it, too. "Hmm…well you could always go to the lake. Don't you have a new book you've been wanting to read?"

"O that's right, Spike!" she exclaimed as she dashed over to the bookshelf. "Princess Celestia gave me a rare copy of a collection of Star Swirled the Bearded's journal entries. Now I can see what he was thinking about when coming up with new spells!"

"Uh, Twilight…isn't the point of your day off to get away from studying and stuff?"

Twilight giggled. "O Spike. This will be relaxing; I promise. I'm looking more at his life than I am his spells," she said, grabbing her saddle bag and placing the book inside.

"Well ok. If you say so. I'm gonna get back to sweeping. You have fun at the lake."

"Thank you so much again, Spike," she said as she hugged him. "You're the best assistant a pony could ask for."

"Yea I know," Spike said playfully. And with that Twilight trotted out of the library, anxious to get to the lake to read her book. "O my gosh! O my gosh! O my gosh!" she exclaimed happily. "I wonder how he came up with so many spells. I wonder where he drew his inspiration from. I wonder if he had a teacher like I do. O my gosh! I'm so excited to read this book!"

Twilight Sparkle was halfway to the lake now. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice the other pony trotting her way. They ended up bumping heads.

"Ouch!" Twilight exclaimed rubbing her forehead. Then she looked up and saw another pony rubbing her forehead. She was a green unicorc with a white mane, tail, and hooves, and her coat was also speckled white; she also wore a thin, slate-colored necklace with a clear, hexagon shaped gem in the center. She also noticed that it was a pony that she had never seen before. Twilight felt even more embarrassed after having that realization. "O my gosh! I am so sorry! I should've paid more attention to where I was going. I promise I'm not always this careless!"

The other pony chuckled, "Aw it's alright, hun. It was an accident. My name's Abelinda." She shrugged. "I'm kinda new to Equestria."

"Abelinda is a beautiful name. My name's Twilight Sparkle."

"That's a nice name, too. But, aren't you a princess? Or are not all alicorns princesses?"

"O yea," Twilight blushed. "I am; I just don't really announce it or anything."

"Why not?! Being a princess has got to be the coolest thing ever! *sigh* I wish I was one."

"Well I guess it is kinda cool. I'm just not one to really announce things."

"Ah I see. So where were you headed, Your Highness?" she said with a smile as she bowed before Twilight.

Twilight blushed harder and nudged her to try to get her to stop bowing. "No, please. Call me Twilight. And I was on my way to the lake to read a book- Wait a minute, you said you were new here?"

Abelinda lifted her head. "Yea I am."

"Are you here by yourself?"

"Yea I am…" Abelinda said sadly, rubbing her leg with her hoof. "I don't have any friends or anything. I travel by myself."

Twilight pitied her, then had an idea. "Well we certainly can't have that. Let me introduce you to my friends."

"O I wouldn't want to take you away from your reading or anything," the unicorn said, looking at Twilight sheepishly.

"O it's not a problem at all. Every pony needs friends. And you've made your first one here." Twilight extended her hoof.

Abelinda stood up with a puzzled look on her face. "Why are you doing that?"

Twilight was surprised to know that she didn't know what a hoof shake was, but tried not to show it. "O…well, it's called a hoof shake. Here; hold your hoof out like me."

Abelinda did so cautiously. Twilight then shook her hoof. "Like this. That's all there is to it."

Abelinda chuckled embarrassed. "Wow. I didn't know it was that simple…"

"O it's fine. Now I have to introduce you to my friends," Twilight said as she trotted off happily. Abelinda turned her head to follow Twilight, then turned her head in the direction of Canterlot, then turned and trotted after Twilight, her new friend.


	2. Chapter 2- Meet Applejack

The first place Twilight Sparkle took Abelinda was Sweet Apple Acres to meet Applejack. She was out bucking apples with Big Macintosh. Abelinda marveled at Applejack's strength.

"Good morning, Applejack," Twilight said happily as she trotted up to her.

"Howdy, Twilight," said Applejack as she kicked a tree to knock some apples into the awaiting baskets. "What can I do you for?"

"I just wanted to introduce you to my new friend, Abelinda," she said while pointing at the pony who lingered slightly behind her. She was shyly rubbing her hoof against her leg. "She's new to Equestria."

"New to Equestria?! Well butter me up and call me a biscuit!" exclaimed Applejack as she trotted over to Abelinda and shook her hoof. Unfortunately, Applejack shook the poor pony until she was dizzy. "Good to have you in Equestria, Miss…"

Abelinda tried to regain her balance. "Abel….Abelinda," she said as she fell over; Twilight grabbed her before she hit the ground.

"Pleased to meet you, Abelinda," said Applejack, tipping her hat.

Abelinda's eyes were still spinning. Twilight tried to comfort her. "Sorry, Abelinda. Applejack doesn't always realize her own strength…as you've probably realized by now."

The dizzy unicorn shook her head. "O, it's alright. Pleased to meet you Applejack," she said as she laughed weakly.

"So what brings you to Equestria, Abelinda? You got kinfolk around these parts?"

Twilight helped Abelinda back onto all four hooves. "No," said Abelinda sadly. "That's just it. I don't have any family or friends. I'm all alone."

"What?! No family at all?" asked Applejack in disbelief.

"No…" replied Abelinda. Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder.

Applejack had pity on her. "I'm so sorry to her that, Sugar Cube. But you know what?"

"What?"

"If you're planning on stayin in Ponyville, there's bound to be someone here that'll take you in as their own. You can even come stay with me here at Sweet Apple Acres if you like."

"Or with me at the Library," Twilight chimed in. "Like Applejack said, any pony would be glad to take you in."

"Really?" Abelinda couldn't believe it.

"I give you the honest truth, Abelinda."

Abelinda eyes met Applejack's; she could tell that AJ wasn't lying, and smiled when she realized this. "Thank you," she said gratefully. "Thank you both. That's very kind of you."

"Aw no need to thank us, Sugar Cube."

"Applejack's right. We don't mind at all. That's what friends do for each other." Applejack nodded in agreement.

Abelinda smiled and nodded as well; she was speechless.

"Now who else has she met?" asked Applejack.

"You're actually the only other pony she's met so far," explained Twilight.

"Well I'll be. You gotta meet the rest of our bunch, Abelinda. I'm sure you'll like them just fine."

"Ok. Let's go," said Abelinda somewhat anxiously.

"Alright. Just let me get these here baskets back to the barn-" she stopped when she saw Abelinda pick up not only the baskets underneath the tree where Applejack was standing, but all the baskets in the orchard using her magic.

"I'll carry them. Which way is the barn?" she asked.

Twilight and Applejack stared at her with eyes wide open and mouths agape. They pointed towards the direction of the barn, then Abelinda trotted away. "Thanks," she said over her shoulder.

The other two stood there frozen. "Uh…Twi?"

"…Yea?"

"…Did you know she could do that?"

"…No. I had no idea she could do that. Were all of those baskets full?"

"They sure were."

"Wow. I'm not even sure if my magic could lift all of those, and she picked them all up as if they weighed nothing at all!"

While the two stared in disbelief, Abelinda was still trotting off to the barn, laughing to herself as she did so. "If they're surprised that I was able to lift every basket in the orchard, wait til they see what else I can do…"


	3. Chapter 3- Meet Fluttershy

Twilight and Applejack eventually got over their shock of Abelinda's strength and joined her at the barn. She was setting the rest of the barrels down. Big Macintosh was standing there, mouth agape, in awe of Abelinda's strength. Applejack laughed as she trotted up to her big brother, "Quite the heavy lifter, ain't she Big Mac?"

"Eeyup," was his reply.

Abelinda giggled. "I'm sorry, guys. I just wanted to help out."

"No need to apologize, Darlin. We appreciate the help," said Applejack.

"We just had no idea that you were that _strong_," said Twilight.

Abelinda giggled again. "Well, I don't like to show off. That and I don't want other ponies liking me for my talents. I want them to like me for _me_."

"Well that's understandable," responded Twilight.

Just then, Angel, Fluttershy's rabbit, came bounding swiftly along the path to the barn. Fluttershy was flying after him. "O please, Angel," she said in a loud whisper. "It's just a bath. It won't be that bad. Please come back."

Angel kept hopping, but bumped his head on Abelinda's leg by mistake. He stopped to rub his head and look at who he bumped into. He was met with Abelinda's smiling face. "Well hi there, little guy," she said softly.

Angel screamed and rushed into Fluttershy's unexpecting arms. She was shocked to see Angel so frightened. "O my goodness, Angel. I've never seen you so scared before. What's gotten into you?" She looked up and saw her friends, but she also saw a new pony with them.

Terrified of strangers, she shrieked, dropped to the ground (and dropped Angel as well), and buried her head in her arms. Angel hid in her hair; they both shuddered on the ground.

Abelinda looked confused. She looked around, then finally at Applejack and Twilight. "Did I miss something?"

Applejack chuckled, "No, ma'am. That there's our friend, Fluttershy, and her pet rabbit, Angel. Poor pony's even afraid of her own shadow. Never seen Angel afraid before, though. That's odd."

"Yes, that is rather interesting…" Twilight said in suspicion, glancing at Abelinda from the corner of her eye.

"Aw, the poor dears," said Abelinda, sympathetically, not mentioning the fact that Angel had been afraid of her. "Let me go and talk to them."

"That might not be the best thing, Abelinda," Applejack warned. "She may just scream and fly off."

"O I'm sure she won't," reassured Abelinda. "I'll be careful."

"Alright," said Twilight. "Just don't make any sudden moves…or yell…or run…or walk…or even talk in a normal voice …or-"

"I got it, Twilight," Abelinda laughed. "Thank you." She then turned and walked slowly over to Fluttershy and Angel. Applejack and Twilight stayed by Big Macintosh.

"Hey, Twi, you find it a tad bit strange that Angel was afraid of Abelinda just by looking at her?"

"Yea," said Twilight thoughtfully. "Angel's not usually afraid of any pony."

"So why do you think the little critter screamed like that?"

"I don't know, Aj. Creatures like Angel can suspect danger when no pony else can, but he shouldn't be afraid of Abelinda, especially when all she did was smile at him." "_Or should he be afraid?_" she wondered.

"Right. Well let's see how she makes out talking to those two. Maybe he misjudged her. It can happen with little critters like that."

"Maybe…"

By the time they had finished talking, Abelinda had reached Fluttershy, who was still shuddering on the ground. "Hey…Fluttershy, is it?" she whispered just loudly enough so Fluttershy could hear her. Fluttershy stopped shuddering and peeked to look at the pony who was lying in front her. She cringed a little when she saw Abelinda. "I'm not gonna hurt you. My name's Abelinda. I'm new here in Equestria. I didn't mean to scare you or your bunny."

Fluttershy relaxed a little. She saw how sincere and friendly Abelinda looked, and decided to give her a chance. "H..hh….hi, Ab..elin…da," she said with a shaky voice.

"That's a really cute bunny you have there."

"Y…yes. Angel is really adorable," Fluttershy whispered. "A bit of a handful at times, but he really is sweet."

Angel then popped out of Fluttershy's mane and glared at her. "O, I'm sorry, Angel. But you really can be very picky at times. But I still love you." Angel continued glaring at her.

Abelinda giggled softly. "Aw he's so cute. Is he hungry?"

"Well," said Fluttershy sitting up and grabbing Angel in her arms. "I guess a little snack would calm him down."

Abelinda then used her magic to grab a green apple from the barn and transport it over to Angel. Angel was still skeptical of it.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Abelinda. Angel only like red apples."

"Oh that's ok, she replied cheerfully. She then used her magic to change the apple from green to red.

"Wow," whispered Fluttershy. "I didn't know you could use time spells."

"Yea, I can. It's no big deal really." Abelinda then presented the apple to Angel politely, but he still didn't trust her.

Twilight and Applejack saw everything. "Wow, Twi. She's pretty good with magic. Know where she might've learned that outside Equestria?"

"Not at all, AJ. It looks like she's about as strong as Princess Celestia."

"Well it' a good thing she's a nice pony then, huh?"

"Yea, it is." Twilight still had her suspicions, however. She wondered where Abelinda studied and became so powerful. She just hoped that whoever trained her wasn't an enemy of Equestria.

Abelinda kept trying to feed Angel. She sliced off a piece of the apple and presented it to him, but he refused to eat it. She drew it back a bit. Then, suddenly, Angel was surprisingly drawn to it. His eyes opened wide and he jumped for the apple slice; he began eating it furiously.

"Goodness! I wonder what made him change his mind all of a sudden," Fluttershy exclaimed quietly.

"I guess he just got hungry," Abelinda giggled and proceeded to hand Angel the rest of the apple that he was eagerly awaiting.

Applejack and Twilight then trotted up. "Well I'll be," exclaimed Applejack. "That sure is the fastest I've seen that little feller change his mind about eating something. He's usually pickier than Rarity at a dress shop."

"Who's Rarity?" asked Abelinda.

"Oh. Rarity's another friend of ours. She's very beautiful and makes the best outfits for everyone in Ponyville."

"Awesome. I'd love to meet her."

"Then come along, Partner. Her shop's thisaway." Applejack then trotted off with Fluttershy following behind. When Angel finished his apple, he hopped onto Abelinda's back and snuggled her hair. She smiled, and trotted after the others. Twilight stayed behind a moment longer. She had noticed a spark in her eyes, and then in Angel's, right before he was so eager to eat the apple. "Could she have hypnotized Angel? No, that's ridiculous, Twilight. Abelinda's not evil. At least, I hope she's not…" And with that, she galloped to catch up with her friends.


	4. Chapter 4- Meet Rarity

The ponies arrived at Rarity's shop about ten minutes after leaving the Apple Farm. Applejack was the first to walk in the door, followed by Fluttershy, then Abelinda, and then Twilight.

"Hey, Rarity. Where are ya? Got somepony we'd like you to meet."

"Just one second, Darling," said Rarity from a distance, putting the finishing touches on a dress she had just finished. It was a red satin dress with gold embroidery along the flank and neck and a red bow to tie in the back. She laced up the bow with her magic and said, "There, finished. Now who is it you wanted me to meet, Applejack?" She turned and trotted toward the entrance to her shop.

"This here's our new friend, Abelinda," she said as she pointed towards her.

"Well it is a pleasure to meet you, my dear- o my! What a fabulous mane you have! It's simply glowing! You must tell me how you keep it so shiny!"

"O boy, here we go…" said Applejack.

Abelinda giggled. "O it's really just natural for me. I don't really add anything to it."

"Natural? You are so lucky, darling. I wish my mane shone like that."

"But your mane is beautiful, Rarity. And so are your dresses." She looked around at Rarity's store in wonder. "So many dresses. You really have a unique style. I've never seen such a mix of classical, retro, and even contemporary styles."

"Some pony mind tellin me what Abelinda just said?" said Applejack, confused.

"Really?" said Rarity, ignoring Applejack. "No one has ever noticed my blend of styles before. You really have a keen eye, Darling."

"Wow, Abelinda," said Fluttershy softly. "You must know a lot about fashion."

"O, I don't know about that," Abelinda responded. "My mom taught me a lot about fashion when I was a filly."

"Well, your mother was certainly knowledgeable," chimed Rarity.

"Where is your mother Abelinda?" asked Twilight, curious. "Is she still in the land you're from?"

"She might be…I don't really know." Abelinda sighed. "It's been a while since I've seen her…"

"O…I'm sorry, Abelinda. I didn't know…"

"O it's fine, Twilight, really. No harm done," she said as she put a hoof on her shoulder. Twilight made eye contact. Her gesture seemed comforting, but something seemed off about her. It was her eyes. Twilight couldn't place it, but something about Abelinda just seemed…copied. Rehearsed, even. But Twilight just smiled back at her. She wanted to make sure that she had a valid reason for being suspicious before accusing her of anything.

"Well I do hope that you'll be reunited with you mother soon, Abelinda," said Rarity.

"Thanks. It's just hard being away from her. It's been so long since we've seen each other."

Everyone felt sad for her. Then, Fluttershy spoke up. "Hey, maybe we can see if Zecora could help."

"How could she help, Fluttershy?" inquired Twilight.

"Well, Abelinda did say that she wasn't from Equestria. Since Zecora's from far away, too, maybe she can tell us if where Abelinda's from is anywhere near her homeland."

"Now there's an idea," said Applejack. "How bout it, Abelinda?"

"O, you really don't have to go through all of that trouble for me," she said sheepishly.

"It's really no trouble at all, darling. After all, what are friends for?"

Abelinda smiled, then thought for a second. "Ok. Guess we could give it a shot."

"Looks like we're off to the Everfree Forest, then," said Twilight.

"The what forest?" asked Abelinda confused.

The Everfree forest. It's on the outskirts of town," said Applejack. "You'll see it when we get there."

"Ok then."

"Alright. Follow us," said Fluttershy. Applejack led the way out. Rarity followed, then Abelinda, then Fluttershy, then Twilight. She was still a bit suspicious of Abelinda, but maybe she would get some answers when they got to Zecora's, like where Abelinda was even from for instance.


	5. Chapter 5-Meet Pinkie Pie & Rainbow Dash

The ponies had just stepped out of Rarity's shop when Abelinda noticed Rainbow Dash clearing some clouds overhead.

"Wow," she exclaimed as she saw Rainbow Dash flying with incredible speed. "I've never seen a pony that fast before."

"Yep. That's Rainbow Dash," Twilight explained. "She's the fastest pony in all of Ponyville."

"I don't doubt that," said Abelinda, still amazed.

Rainbow Dash had finished clearing the rest of the clouds when she saw her friends and Abelinda down below. She flew down to meet them. "Hey, guys. Who's this?"

"This is our new friend, Abelinda," said Fluttershy.

"Abelinda, huh? Interesting name. Kinda cool, I guess."

"Not as cool as your name," said Abelinda. "I mean, Rainbow Dash? That's a pretty awesome name."

"Well, that's true," said Rainbow Dash proudly. "An awesome name for an awesome pony. So what brings you to Ponyville?"

"O I just kinda…wound up here."

"Just 'wound up here'? That's pretty interesting. Ponies usually don't just 'wind up' in Ponyville."

"Well, I-" Abelinda was about to explain herself when Pinkie Pie came hopping along. She stopped when she saw the new unicorn. She and Abelinda both made eye contact for a few seconds. Awkwardly, Abelinda then said, "Um….hi?"

Pinkie Pie jumped and let out a huge gasp. Abelinda was taken aback by this. She looked to Twilight. "Did…did I say something wrong?"

"No, that's just Pinkie Pie," Twilight responded. "She's naturally this hyper."

"Naturally hyper?" Abelinda said with some uneasiness.

"Yep," Applejack chimed in. "That pony's about as hyper as a squirrel with a sugar rush."

"Oh joy…" Abelinda responded.  
"Oh my gosh!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "You're new to Ponyville! Of course, I would know that. I know everypony here. Well, except you, because you just got here! And now I get to meet you! I'm Pinkie Pie! Who are you? Where are you from? How long have you been here? Will you be moving here? Are you staying long? Are-" Rainbow Dash had walked up and closed her mouth. "Easy, Pinkie. Give Abelinda some time to answer at least one question."

"O, sorry!" she mumbled through Rainbow's hooves.

Abelinda was slightly dazed, but something else was off about her. She looked somewhat hostile towards Pinkie Pie. Applejack looked concerned. "You okay, Abelinda?" she asked.

Abelinda shook her head. "O, yea. I'm fine. Just so many questions…"

"Yea we all had to get used to that," said Rainbow Dash taking her hooves off Pinkie. Just then, Pinkie Pie jumped and gasped again.

"O dear, not again," said Rarity, putting her hoof to her forehead as she shook it.

"No no! It's not more questions! I promise! Well, one more question. Abelinda, where's you're cutie mark?!"

Then everyone else turned to Abelinda. Sure enough, she didn't have a cutie mark. Everyone gasped; Abelinda looked embarrassed and worried.

"O my," exclaimed Fluttershy quietly. "You realy don't have a cutie mark, Abelinda."

"I thought everypony would've gotten their cutie mark by now," said Twilight.

"Are you guys really just now noticing this?!" said Pinkie, shocked.

Abelinda looked around at everyone, then took a few steps back, shyly.

Rarity put a hoof on her shoulder. "O it's quite alright, Darling, really. We don't think any less of you for not having your cutie mark. Although it is strange that you don't have it yet… You haven't figured out what your special talent is?"

"You really do have a lot of talents, Abelinda," said Twilight.

"Yea, like being able to lift an entire orchard full of apples in one swing," said Applejack.

"Or having a really unique way with animals," added Fluttershy.

"Or having a keen eye for fashion styles," added Rarity.

"Hmm…that's quite a few talents you got, Abelinda. Weird how you can do all that and still not have your cutie mark," said Twilight suspiciously.

"Yea. That is interesting," said Twilight with suspicion.

Abelinda looked at them all again, then hung her head and sighed. "I know. My mom was able to teach me all these skills and abilities, but I still haven't found my true talent yet. I don't know what's wrong with me."

They all felt slightly sorry for her, but they were still wondering how she hadn't gotten her cutie mark at that age. Fluttershy went up and put her hoof on Abelinda's shoulder. "Just because you haven't gotten your cutie mark yet doesn't mean something's wrong with you, Abelinda. We can help you find your real talent."

"You can?"

"Why, of course, Dear," added Rarity. "What are friends for?"

Abelinda looked at the six ponies around her, who all nodded in agreement with Rarity. Abelinda's worry disappeared and contentment showed on her face. "Thank you all so much. You guys are great."

"It's no trouble at all," Fluttershy responded.

"Ok, so we're gonna help you find your cutie mark," asserted Rainbow Dash. "But where are we even gonna start? We can't just run around doing random things like the Crusaders- no offense to them or anything. That'd just take up way too much time."

"Rainbow's right," agreed Applejack. "So where can we start lookin? Anybody got any ideas?"

The ponies all thought for a moment, then Twilight spoke up. "Well, we were gonna go to Zecora's to see if she could help Abelinda find out where her home is. Maybe she can help her find her cutie mark, too. Or, at least, sort through her talents."

"How could she help, Twilight?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Well, Zecora taught me some meditation methods shortly after I first became a princess. I was so overwhelmed with everything that would change. She found me freaking out by the pond near the Everfree forest and told me to come with her. She brought me to her home and told me to sit still and breathe deeply. She told me to clear my mind of all my worries, then focus on my tasks at hand. It really helped out a lot. Maybe if Abelinda meditates on her different talents, she'll be able to focus more clearly on which one's her special talent and find her cutie mark."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Twilight," said Rarity. "Would you like to give it a try, Abelinda?"

"I don't know," she replied, sounding hesitant. "I don't exactly see how meditating can help me find my cutie mark."

"Well you never know until you try, silly," said Pinkie Pie playfully.

"At least give it a try, darling," chimed in Rarity.

"Yea. It couldn't hurt," added Rainbow Dash.

"Well, I guess we could try…" said Abelinda, still not completely sold on the idea.

"That's the spirit, Abelinda," said Aj happily.

"Then let's head over to Zecora's now, girls," said Twilight. "Hopefully it won't be too long of a walk for you, Abelinda."

"How long is the walk?" asked Abelinda curiously.

"Well," said Twilight, "It's in the heart of the Everfree forest."

"What's that?"

"It's a creepy forest full of scary things and creepy, mean monsters and evil plants," said Pinkie Pie hastily while bouncing around and finally stopping in front of Abelinda.

"Oh…is that all?" said Abelinda sarcastically.

"Yepperuni!" said Pinkie Pie joyfully.

Abelinda made a straight face after that.

"O it's really not that bad, Darling," said Rarity putting a hoof on her shoulder to comfort her. "We've been to Zecora's home plenty of times. Though the forest is awfully dreadfully, icky, and filled with tons of disgusting creatures-"

"What Rarity's trying to get at," interrupted Rainbow Dash, who noticed Rarity cringing and getting more disgusted the more she described the forest, "is that you're safe with us, Abelinda. We got your back."

"Exactly," chimed in Fluttershy. "That's what friends are for."

"Right. So you ready to give this here meditation thingy a shot?" asked Applejack.

"Sure," said Abelinda confidently.

"Then follow us, Partner." And with that, Aj, Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash flying overhead set out for the Everfree forest. Abelinda lagged behind for a minute. She smiled as she watched her new friends trot off ahead of her. "Yes, that's what friends are for," she said to herself. "Friends who care about you. Maybe even…love you."

"HEY!" yelled Pinkie Pie, interrupted her train of thought. "You are gonna follow us, right?"

Abelinda was so startled by Pinkie that she had to reorient herself. "Huh? O yea. I'm following. I was just amazed by how nice you all are."

"Yep! That's us! Nice, caring, friendly, loving, and fun!" Pinkie Pie said as she bounced off. Abelinda trotted after her. "Yes, loving," she thought to herself. "They will all be very useful to me. Although something will have to be done about this one…"


	6. Chapter 6

The mane six and Abelinda were nearing Zecora's house in the Everfree forest. Abelinda was taking in the sights, paying attention to every detail that she could. She found it darkly fascinating.

When they reached Zecora's house, Twilight stepped forward and knocked on the door. Zecora came out a few moments later.

"Welcome, ponies, and Princess Twilight. I also see a new pony before my eyes."

"It's good to see you again, Zecora," said Twilight. She pointed back towards Abelinda, who was walking forward. "This is our new friend, Abelinda. She's about our age, but doesn't have her cutie mark yet. We were wondering if there was anything that you could do to help her get it."

Zecora examined Abelinda, then pondered for a minute. "Hmm…It is rare that ponies don't have their cutie mark at this age. But I know a good trick, taught by a wise sage."

"Umm…what's a sage?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"A sage is a really wise person. They usually have students or followers who they can share their knowledge with."

"Precisely, Princess Twilight," said Zecora. "As usual, you have answered right. Now as for you, Miss Abelinda, come in, and let's see what you're made of." Zecora turned around and walked back inside of her home to look for a certain book.

"What exactly does she mean, Twilight?" asked Abelinda, confused.

"It means she's agreed to help you get your cutie mark," said Twilight.

"Oh…" said Abelinda unexcitingly.

"What's wrong, Darling?" asked Rarity, concerned. "Don't you want to know what your special talent is?"

"I do," responded Abelinda. "It's just…"

"Just what, Abelinda?" asked Applejack.

"I'm just nervous, I guess," said Abelinda quietly.

"Aw no need to be nervous, Abelinda," said Rainbow Dash. "Zecora's awesome, and she knows what she's doing. You'll be fine."

"You think so?"

"Trust us," responded RD proudly.

"We wouldn't have brought you here if we didn't think it was safe, Abelinda," said Fluttershy.

Abelinda paused for a moment, then spoke, "Alright. I'll give it a shot."

"That's the spirit, Abelinda!" said Applejack happily. "We'll be right out here if you need us."

"You guys aren't coming?"

"No," said Twilight. "You need to concentrate on this, and we don't want to distract you. It's best if we stay out here."

Abelinda didn't seem too happy about that, but she understood. She nodded, then went inside and shut the door behind her.

The other ponies stepped back from the door a bit and talked quietly among themselves.

"I really do hope that she finds what her special talent is," said Rarity. "I can't imagine what it must feel like going this long without knowing it."

"Yea," said Applejack. "Still seems a might bit weird that she doesn't know it yet, though."

"Well, everypony is different," whispered Fluttershy. "Maybe because she's good at so many things, it's taken her longer to find it."

"That's just it, Fluttershy," said Twilight. "She's good at so many things. I've never seen a pony with that many talents before."

"Sus…pi…cious," whispered Pinkie Pie dramatically.

"Hmm…Twilight does have a point," agreed Rainbow.

"Yes, I'll admit it is a bit strange," said Rarity. "But what exactly are you getting at, Darling?" she asked Twilight.

"It's just…really weird," said Twilight, puzzled. "Something seems off about her having so many talents, but I'm not exactly sure what."

"I agree," said AJ, "but maybe this trip to Zecora's will help sort all those out. I'd hate for her to not be what she seems."

"True," said Rainbow. "She seems pretty cool, though."

"Yea…she does…" said Twilight, still suspicious.

Inside Zecora's house, Abelinda was standing beside Zecora's brewing pot, while Zecora was looking for a book on meditation. Abelinda checked her surroundings cautiously.

"Ah, here's the book I've been searching for," said Zecora, pulling a book off of the shelf in her home. "Now, we can sift through your talents galore to find what makes you unique, the cutie mark that adorns everypony."

Abelinda was beginning to understand her better. "What's that?" she asked, staring at the book curiously.

"This is a book on meditation, which, with luck, will lead to your revelation."

"You mean my cutie mark?"

Zecora nodded.

Abelinda sighed, still unsure about using meditation to try to find her cutie mark. "Alright. Let's get this overwith," she said after a moment.

"Do cheer up and don't fret, Abelinda," said Zecora, pouring some spices into her brewing pot. "You will achieve your goal if you do not give up."

"Hmm….that's true," said Abelinda thoughtfully. "So what all do I have to do?"

Zecora bent down and opened the book to the page on how to meditate. She read a few lines, then looked up at Abelinda, "According to the book, just sit still and breathe. Let your body relax, and put your mind at ease."

"That's it?"

"Allow your mind to focus on your task. Then, with luck, you'll find your cutie mark at last."

"Focus on my task? How do I do that?"

"Think about you many talents and gifts. One, more than the rest, should stand out and stick."

"Alright," Abelinda said doubtfully. She closed her eyes and allowed her body to relax. She breathed deeply and slowly. Zecora stirred her brew in order to create a relaxing fog to help Abelinda focus. What Abelinda didn't know, was that this fog was intended to reveal a pony's inner self.

Zecora watched the young unicorn meditate. When the fog began to enclose around Abelinda, something happened. As the fog began to pass over her, Zecora didn't see Abelinda, but another creature. It was still shaped like a unicorn, but it was dark. Zecora gasped and stepped back, accidently knocking over the brew in the process. Abelinda's eyes shot open when she heard the pot hit the floor, then she noticed Zecora's shocked expression. She looked at herself through the fog, then back up at Zecora. She stood up, then her horn began to glow…

The mane six were still waiting on Abelinda when they saw a very bright green flash of light coming from inside.

"Ooooo…pretty color!" said Pinkie Pie.

"I wonder if that means Abelinda found her cutie mark," whispered Fluttershy excitedly.

"We'll find out when Zecora says it's ok for us to come in. She may wanna talk to her first," said Twilight.

They waited about five more minutes before AJ spoke up, "That must be some conversation they're having in there. Didn't think it'd take this long."

"I agree with Applejack," said Rarity. "Shall we go see what's keeping them?"

"Works for me," said Rainbow Dash, going up to the door. She stopped when she saw Abelinda open it and walk out with her head hanging low.

"Hey, what happened in there, Abelinda?" said Rainbow Dash. "What was with that green flash of light?"

Abelinda raised her eyes, then lowered them again. She sighed, "Zecora had me meditating while she created this fog to help me concentrate, but something went wrong."

"What happened?" asked a concerned Applejack.

"The fog did something to Zecora; I'm not sure what exactly. Her eyes got really red and watery, and she started losing her balance. I guess it only affects zebras since nothing happened to me. I ran up to her and caught her before she fell, then dragged her to her room and put her in her bed. I used my magic to find out where exactly the smoke was still inside her body, then performed a spell to help her get rid of it by breathing it out. That must've been that light that you guys saw."

"Wait, you know healing spells, too?" asked Twilight in shock.

"I've heard that those are very difficult to learn," said Rarity, equally in shock.

"They are, but my mom taught me those when I was very young," replied Abelinda. "They just drain me emotionally."

"So where's Zecora now?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"She's in her bed resting if you wanna see her," said Abelinda, pointing behind her and stepping to the side a bit.

Rainbow Dash flew inside to Zecora's bedroom; the other six followed behind her. When they got to her bedroom, they saw Zecora in her bed, barely conscious.

Twilight was concerned, "Are you sure you did your spell right, Abelinda? Zecora's breathing seems awfully shallow."

Abelinda looked at Zecora, then responded, "My spell might have been a little strong. I wasn't sure if she was gonna make it, so I used the strongest healing spell I knew."

"Poor Zecora," whispered Fluttershy. "I hope she'll be alright."

"We won't really know until the morning," said Abelinda. "Sorry, guys. I panicked. I didn't know what else to do…" Abelinda began to tear up.

"It's quite alright, Darling," said Rarity, putting a comforting hoof on her shoulder. "You did what you felt was right. Any one of us would've done the same."

The other five ponies nodded. Abelinda wiped her tears. "Thanks," she whispered.

"Is there anything else you reckon we can do for her, Twi?" Applejack asked Twilight.

"We can go back into Ponyville and see if there's any medicine or food that we can bring her, but at least two of us should stay here: one to make sure Zecora's ok and the other to let the rest of us know if anything else happens."

"I'll stay," volunteered Applejack.

"And I will, too," said Abelinda. "Plus, my emotional state isn't the best right now. It's probably not good for me to be around anypony I don't know."

"Ok," said Twilight. "Dash, fly back to the Medicine Shop before they close. They won't close up as long as somepony's in the store."

"On it!" responded RD before speeding out of the house.

"Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, you guys go get some food for all of us. We'll all come and spend the night here."

They both nodded and went back to Ponyville to get some food.

"Rarity, we'll need blankets and pillows. I have extras at home. Spike's there, so he should be able to help you out."

"Of course," said Rarity before trotting out.

Twilight then turned to AJ and Abelinda, "I'll go and meet Rainbow Dash at the store. Then I'll check my books at home if they don't have anything." The other two mares nodded in response before Twilight turned and ran to the store. Abelinda stared at Zecora, looking concerned. Seeing her like this made Applejack start to trust her more, but AJ wasn't sure if she believed her story entirely. However, after looking at Zecora, AJ found it hard to believe that the new unicorn was lying.

Suddenly Abelinda spoke up, "I know you and the others are suspicious of me, especially you and Twilight."

This caught AJ off-guard. All she did was look at Abelinda, trying to appear that she didn't know what she was talking about. Abelinda spoke again, "It's because I know all those spells and stuff, right?"

AJ sighed and hung her head in embarrassment. She hated judging other ponies. "Yea," she responded. "Sorry, Abelinda, but usually when a unicorn can do all the magic tricks you can, it means trouble for us."

Abelinda hung her head, "I see…so you guys think I'm trouble?" she sounded hurt.

"Not exactly…well, kinda, I guess. We're just not sure what you're up to is all. If we knew more about you and what you were doing here, it may help clear up some of these doubts we have about you."

Abelinda sighed, "So you wanna know my story?"

AJ nodded. Abelinda sighed, "Well, I was born in a land called Engaño, far away from Equestria. It's south of the place that the ponies who founded Equestria were originally from. It was a mostly rocky and desolate place on the outside, but it had some of the most beautiful caves I've ever seen. That's where my mom and I and the rest of our people lived; it was the only place we could survive. We fed on the crystals that grew in the caverns; they were surprisingly edible. My mom told me that my dad died before I was born. She taught me everything I know. She also gave me this necklace shortly before I left; sometimes I can still see her face when I look at the gem on it. Because of the harsh environment that we lived in, she wanted me to be ready for anything. She was a harsh trainer at times, but I knew she loved me and wanted me to be strong and healthy. When I was nine, the caves were attacked by an invading army. To this day I still don't know who was responsible. My people fought them off as hard as we could, but they knew how to use our environment against us. They started shooting at the stalactites and shouting, making the rocks crumble around us. It was during that time that I got separated from my mom and the rest of my people. I fell down through a gaping hole in the ground that led outside. I couldn't go back in because the invaders had the caves surrounded. So I ran away and didn't look back. I didn't want to, but I had no other choice. But the invaders didn't stop with my homeland; they sought other lands, too. It seemed like everywhere I went, they seemed to follow. It was like that for two years until one tribe finally conquered them and put a stop to their expansion. But by that time, I was completely lost. Because my people never traveled, no one had heard of Engaño, no one could tell me where to go. So I wandered for seven years trying to get back home…" Abelinda was forcing back tears the entire time.

Applejack's heart was broken. Now she really felt terrible for having judged Abelinda. She reached over to hug the near-sobbing unicorn. "I'm so sorry, sugarcube. I had no idea you had been through all of that. That's gotta be hard for anypony."

Abelinda leaned into the hug, "It's ok," she managed to force out in a whisper. Applejack hugged her tighter when she felt tears on her arms.

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie walked in on this scene. They were both shocked and worried when they saw Abelinda crying in Applejack's arms. AJ noticed the looks on the other ponies' faces when they came in. "It's alright, yall," she said. "Abelinda just…relived something she shouldn't've had to, and I'm sorry for that, Abelinda…"

All Abelinda could do was hug AJ tighter and nod her head; that was her way of saying, "It's ok." Pinkie Pie went up to check on Zecora, then helped Fluttershy unpack the food. Abelinda had finally stopped crying when they finished.

Rarity and Spike returned shortly afterwards with blankets and pillows for everypony and proceeded to set up the open area of Zecora's home for them to sleep in. Twilight and Rainbow Dash arrived much later. Abelinda had fallen asleep; she was exhausted from crying. Rarity and Fluttershy had given her a pillow and blanket. She was sleeping on the floor in front of Zecora's bed; Spike and the other ponies were waiting in the open area. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were both concerned when they entered.

"Everything ok, guys? How's Zecora?...And where's Abelinda?" asked Rainbow Dash?

"To answer in order: yes, fine, and with Zecora," said Pinkie Pie, still retaining some cheerfulness.

"Is she ok?" asked the alicorn.

"She's fine. Just sleeping," whispered Fluttershy.

"Sleeping? Already?" Dash asked surprised.

"Yea…" said Applejack sadly. "She needed a little snooze after what I made her do."

"What did you do, AJ?" asked Twilight, concerned.

"I made her tell me her story, where she's from and how she got here and all that."

"Wait…isn't that a good thing, Applejack?" asked Dash, still confused. "I mean, we knew nothing about her to begin with except that she's basically wandering all over the pony world right now and that she somehow got separated from her mom. Plus, she's got freaky powers for a unicorn. She can do more than Twilight here, and even she's admitted that some of those spells are really hard to do."

"Her momma trained her, Dash. She was taught all that stuff cuz she had to be ready for anything."

"What do you mean?" asked Rarity. "Was her home really that dangerous?"

Applejack sighed, "Might as well give you guys the story…"

After AJ finished telling Abelinda's history and that she knew that they were suspicious of her, everypony was stunned and ashamed for judging Abelinda. "Poor Abelinda…" whispered Fluttershy.

"Man, she really did have it rough," Rainbow admitted. "I guess we really were wrong about her."

"Looks like we were, and me especially," confessed Twilight. "I just thought it was really strange for a unicorn to have as much power as she did. It seemed suspicious, but I never even asked her how she got and mastered her abilities. I judged her before I even knew her…I owe her an apology when she wakes up."

"We all do, Twi," said Applejack.

Everypony hung their heads in sadness, but then Pinkie Pie suddenly perked up. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "I have an even better idea!"

"We're not throwing her a party, Pinkie Pie," said Rainbow Dash annoyed.

"I wasn't gonna say that!...Ok I was, but not a _party_ party. I was thinking more of a non-party party!"

"A non-party party?" asked Twilight, thinking the idea absurd.

"And just what in the hay is that?" asked AJ.

"It's like a party without the party theme and decorations and stuff!" Pinkie answered enthusiastically. "I was thinking we could make her like a special breakfast or something and celebrate our friendship without having a total party…a non-party party!" She jumped when she said the last part.

Everypony was wide-eyed, then Twilight spoke up, "That's actually a really good idea, Pinkie. We really should do that."

"I agree," said Rarity. "It's the least we can do after how we judged her like that." Everypony nodded.

"Ok then," Twilight said, taking charge. "Pinkie, AJ, you guys man the kitchen. Fluttershy, Rainbow, I need to guys to go out into the forest and find me a blue and white striped flower called Mane's Bane; according to a recipe that I found in that Supernaturals book, it's a key ingredient in a tonic that should help Zecora recover faster. Rarity, when they get back, I'll need you to help me make the tonic to help Zecora." Everypony then nodded and went to their stations. As Twilight trotted over towards Zecora's brewing pot, Spike ran up behind her. "What about me, Twilight?" asked the eager baby dragon. "What can I do?"

"I'll need you to go into Zecora's room and keep an eye on Abelinda and Zecora. Let me know if they need anything or if you think anything's wrong."

"Gotcha!" Spike saluted and then ran into Zecora's bedroom to check on both her and Abelinda. The unicorn was curled up in a corner of the room across from Zecora's bed; Spike checked on her first. When he saw that she was sound asleep, he went to check on Zecora. However, as he did so, he didn't realize that he was being watched. Abelinda had opened her right eye slightly to watch the young dragon. She looked at him, then at Zecora. She smiled when she saw that Zecora was still "under the weather." She then closed her eye and readjusted herself. After she did so, her necklace was revealed and began to have a faint, slate-colored glow around it. "Soon…" the young unicorn thought to herself before drifting off to sleep.


End file.
